Mechanism for the operation of submarine armament.



1. E.JOHANNESSEN & O. A. WAAGE.

MECHANISM FOR THE OPERATION OF SUBMARINE ARMAMENT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.23.1917. RENEWED APR. 11.1913.

1,270,164.. v Patented June 13, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

' UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

J'OHAN E. JOHANNESSEN, OF BROOKLYN, AND OSBORNE A. WAAGE, OF NEW YORK,N. Y., ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD T0 DUTEE W. FLINT, OF PROVIDENCE,-RHODEISLAND, AND ONE-NINTH TO JOHAN A. SETHER, ONE-NINTH TO OLAF C. HOFF, ANDONE- NINTH TO CHARLES J. CHRISTIAN SEN, ALL OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MECHANISM FOR THE OPERATION OF SUBMARINE ARMAMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1918.

Application filed February 23, 1917, Serial No. 150,450. Renewed April11, 1918. Serial No. 228,040.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHAN E. JoHAN- NEssEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and OSBORNE A. WAAGE, a subject of the King of Norway, andresidents of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York,

and New York city, in the county of Kings, and State of New York,respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMechanism for the Operation of Submarine Armament, of which thefollowing is a specification. V

This invention relates to the operation of armament for submarinevessels, and the object ofthe invention is to provide simple andeffective means for mounting a plurality of guns on a submarine vessel,each of said guns being independently operable to be moved quickly intoand out of action posi- I'LlOIl;

A further object of the invention is to "provide a central turret withsuperimposed chambers, the lower chamber containing a gun on atransversely movable carriage, and means for moving the entire turretvertisally, to position its gun for action and to withdraw the same andclose the openin when the gun is out of action and the vessel issubmerged.

The invention further consists in the positioning of a plurality ofindependently operable auxiliary gun platforms arranged about thecentral turret, whereby each gun may be raised to firing position andthen withdrawn within the body of the vessel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide motor drivenscrews for raising or lowering the gun platforms.

A still further object of this invention is to provide improvedsecuringmeans for locking the turret and deck closures in closedposition to make them water tight.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectionthrough the gun elevator room showing the operating mechanism.

Fig. 2- is a plan view showing a portion of the vessel, and thearrangement of mechanism in the elevator room.

Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view showing the double form of bolts forlocking the turret in closed position.

Fig. 4' is a perspective View of one of the main bolts.

Fig. 5- is a sectional view showing the means for securing the guninclosed position.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the upper deck of the vesseland 11 the bottom portion thereof.

Beneath this upper deck 10 is the elevator room 12 in which all of theguns are mounted on separate elevator platforms.

The turret 13 in addition to its upper closed chamber is provided with alower chamber 14, on the platform 15 of which is mounted the large gun16 on a standard 17 arranged to slide longitudinally on the ways 18 andthis platform 15 is supported on the screw 19, whereby the whole turretmay be raised to lift the gun into position for action and then loweredto return below deck, and at the same time the collar 20 of the upperchamber of the turret down onto the deck forming a water-tight jointabout the opening. This screw 19 is arranged to be operated by a nut inthe bevel gear 21, which gear is retated through the pinion 22 by theelectric motor 23, by means of which the gun may be lifted to firingposition and then dropped very quickly. v

It is found in practice to be desirable to provide a plurality ofsmaller guns positioned so that a shot may be fired in any direction.Therefore to accomplish this and provide a formidable armament for thissubmarine war ship, we have mounted a plurality of small guns 24, eachon separate and independent platforms 25, each of which is operated bymeans of a screw 26 through a nut-carrying bevel gear 27 by an electricmotor 28 through the pinion gear 29. When any of these smaller guns areto be raised into position a hatch plate is released and swung backthereby providing an. opening 31 through which the gun may be raisedinto position for action. I,

By mounting these guns'on platforms arranged close together about thecentraltur- 'ret, they will cover the full circle about the ship and anumber may be brought into actionv at the same time. l

Bv mounting each one separate and independent any desired number may beraised into position for action and the others kept below in readinesswhen wanted.

Another feature of this invention is the compound locking mechanismemployed in securing the turret in closed position.

To accomplish this we have provided a setof main bolts 32 adapted toslide radially insockets 33 formed to receive them in the.

deck.

These main bolts 32 are preferably square in cross section asillustrated in Fig. 4, and are provided with longitudinal slots at.34through which a pin 35 passes to limit their outward movement. The outerends of these bolts when slid forward are adapted'to pass through theopenings -42 in the side of the turret frame and these ends are slottedas at 36 to'receive the binding bolts 37 which are pivoted at 38 in theturret frame, the end 39 of these binding bolts being adapted to swinginto these slots 36 and a nut is threaded onto each for the purpose ofdrawing the collar or deck plate 40 of the turret down firmly againstthe deck 10 to provide a watertight jolnt.

Fig. 5 illustrates our method of drawing down and locking the hatches 30through carrying out our invention, but we do not.

wish to limit ourselves to any of the specific constructions as variouschanges in shape and form of the several features may be necessary.We,therefore desire it to be understood that we reserve the privilege ofresorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is clearlysusceptible, the invention being defined by the appended claims.

We clalm:

1. In a submarine, aturret having a water-' tight observation chamberand a lower guncarryin platform connected thereto, and means or raising"the turret andplatform to bringv the gun. on the latter into positionfor action.

2. In a submarine, a turret having anupper water tight chamber, andalower-open sided gun-carrying chamber conneetedthereto, means forraising both chambers to bring the gun 1nto positlon for action,'meansfor making a water-tight joint about said turfor lowering the gun withinthe hull and closing the opening.

4. In a submarine, a turret having a watertight observation chamberabove the deck and a. lower gun-carrying latform connected thereto andnormally be ow the deck, and a motor driven screw for raising the turretand platform to bring the gun on its platform into position for action.

5. In a submarine, a turret having a watertight observation chamber anda lower guncarrying platform connected thereto, a motor-driven screw forraising the turret and platform to bring the gun on its platform intoposition for action above the deck, a plurality of independentlyoperable gun-carrying elevator platforms surrounding said turret, andmeans for operating each.

6. In a submarine, a turret having a watertight observation chamberabove the deck and a lower gun-carrying platform connected thereto,means for raising said turret and platform to bring the gun on thelatter into position for action above the deck, a plurality of mainbolts adapted to be positioned to extend through the walls of the turretwhen the latter is depressed, and tightening bolts engaging said mainbolts to exert a downward tension on the turret to make a watertightjoint about the same.

7. In a submarine, a turret having a watertight observation chamber anda lower guncarrying platform connected thereto, means for raising theturret and platform to bring the gun on the latter into position foraction,

a plurality of endwise slidable main bolts connected to the deck andadapted to extend through the side wall of the turret when depressed,tension bolts connected to the turret and adapted to engage said mainbolts to apply a downward tension on the turret to make a water-tightjoint about the same.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

J OHAN E. J OHANNESSEN. .OSBORNE A. WAAGE.

